Foreign interference inquiry: Diaspora communities to speak [Video]

Members of targeted diasporas in Canada are calling for greater awareness of the foreign threats they face as well as more robust protections that could save lives.

Representatives of various communities told a federal inquiry Wednesday of the numerous challenges of fighting foreign meddling and repression.

The commission of inquiry’s latest hearings are focusing on detecting, deterring and countering interference from abroad.

Katherine Leung, a policy adviser with Hong Kong Watch, said police duly take notes and extend thanks when someone reports being surveilled, threatened or harmed by a person acting on behalf of a foreign regime.

“But for some members of the Hong Kong community that I’ve spoken to, this is where the story ends. There’s no follow-up, no indication of progress and no sense of safety or closure,” Leung said.

“For these individuals, the silence that follows can be as unnerving as the initial threat. The lack of …